You might be wondering why you are hearing so much about the gut these days. In fact, the gut plays a pretty major role in our health, especially with how it relates to our brains and our mental health. Scientists are just discovering all the benefits of keeping up your ‘gut health game', including a happy mood and a sense of calm!

 

Have you ever heard the saying, ‘I have a gut feeling’, or ‘trust your gut’? Well, whoever started those classic phrases was on to something. Research now indicates that the gut and brain are highly interconnected. In fact, the vagus nerve runs the whole length of your spine and allows for communication between the enteric nervous system (your gut) and your central nervous system (your mind). We now have an understanding of how digestion, mood and health are all linked. This means an unhealthy gut can lead to an anxious or depressed brain! You MUST start to understand... the food we eat impacts the way we feel in our brain! 

 

So, in other words, if you want to thrive, keep your gut prioritized! 

 

1. Eat more potatoes, yams, beets, squash and carrots. These foods are unrefined carbohydrates and are full of soluble fiber. Soluble fibers feed the good bacteria in your gut. For those of you that think carbohydrates are bad, think again. These cellular carbohydrates are critical for feeding your gut and keeping your gut strong. 
   FRESH TIP: batch cook organic potatoes in the oven. Use a leftover potato, slightly warmed, with eggs and avocado for a quick, easy breakfast! 
   
    

2. Add fermented vegetables and kiefer into your diet. These fermented foods also feed your beneficial gut bacteria, keeping your gut AND your brain happy. 
   FRESH TIP: Use kefir when making a shake AND use kimchi instead of pickles with your burger. 
   
    

3. Use cocoa, olive oil, coffee and red fruit/berries for their polyphenol content. Polyphenols act on the gut microbiota to promote our health and wellbeing.
   FRESH TIP: Make a shake with frozen cherries, cacao and kiefer. For an added boost, add chia seeds, hemp hearts and grass-fed collagen powder. 
   
    

4. Make bone broth. Bone broth contains glycine which protects the intestinal walls. This is actually fairly easy in an Instapot. 
   FRESH TIP: Cook a couple of whole chickens in the oven, break down the meat and make broth with the bones in the instapot. Use broth in soups and stews. 
   
    

5. Include wild caught fish and sardines for an omega-3 boost to your diet. These healthy fats are highly anti-inflammatory and cause increased diversity in your gut microbiome. 
   FRESH TIP: make salmon burgers instead of meat burgers. If you don’t have fresh fish, try wild, canned salmon.